2013 Rockweed harvest plans for Cobscook Bay available

New group (Save Our Seaweed) forms, opposing repeal of Cobscook Bay Rockweed Management Area. "Like" the new Facebook page!

Sign the petition!

Latest Media Coverage

Rockweed, rakers, and referendums. (24 April 2013 - Machias Valley News Observer)

Cobscook Bay plan defended during debate on seaweed bill. (20 March 2013 - Bangor Daily News)

Bill pulls sustainability, legality of seaweed harvesting into spotlight. (23 Feb 2013 - Bangor Daily News)

More and more oceanfront property owners opposing Down East seaweed harvest. (1 Sept 2012 - Bangor Daily News)

Rockweed Coalition and Fundy Chapter of Maine Audubon awarded TogetherGreen (Audubon/Toyota) Innovation Grant for a joint project in Cobscook Bay.

Maine's Underwater Rockweed Forest, a new marine conservation film produced by the Rockweed Coalition with support of TogetherGreen (Audubon/Toyota) chosen for the Beneath the Waves Film Festival, Norfolk, VA; March 2012.

FIVE STEPS to protect Maine's intertidal habitat. TAKE ACTION!

1. Sign the "Save Our Seaweed" petition.
2. "Like" the Save Our Seaweed Facebook page.
3. List your coastal property on the Rockweed Registry.
   
4. Join the Rockweed Coalition.
5. Please email us for information about a tax-deductible donation to support our work. 

ROCKWEED FAQ:

What is rockweed?

Rockweed is a seaweed growing between high and low tide levels on northern Atlantic shores. Rockweed forms habitat for over 150 species of shorebirds, seabirds, ducks, fish, and invertebrates.

What are the issues?

1. Is rockweed harvesting "sustainable"? Read the 2012 academic paper on sustainability.
   
   
2. What are the impacts of cutting rockweed?
   
   Read the 2012 academic paper on impacts to fish, wildlife, and on rockweed itself.
   
   
3. What happens to rockweed after it is cut?
   
   It is trucked to a processing facility and made into fertilizer and animal feed.
   
   
4. Who owns the rockweed? Is it illegal to remove rockweed from private land without permission?
   
   "The State of Maine: Maine’s common law … is not clear as to whether seaweed located in the intertidal zone … is owned by the public generally or by the upland property owner." Read the disclaimer.
   
   
5. What is special about Cobscook Bay?
   
   Cobscook Bay has the highest biodiversity of any area on the eastern seaboard of the United States north of the tropics.
   
   
6. What lands are protected from rockweed cutting?
   
   Sector and Protected Lands Map (Maine Coast Heritage Trust; updated March 2012) shows rockweed sectors and all lands in Cobscook Bay where rockweed cutting is prohibited under Sec. 3. 12 MRSA §6803-C. This map also shows Rockweed Registry lands where landowners are on record as prohibiting rockweed cutting on their lands.

Report unwanted harvesting or harvesting in conservation areas toll free: 1-888-4ROKWEED (1-888-476-5933)

Rockweed Coalition Mission Statement: The Rockweed Coalition is a coalition of citizens working to promote conservation of intertidal marine habitat, and to end commercial cutting and removal of rockweed (the intertidal seaweed Ascophyllum nodosum) until studies can demonstrate that cutting rockweed does not harm the ecosystem.